It is a requirement in many countries that packaging for products to which a tax or duty is applied is sealed using a tamper evident tax or revenue seal. The purpose of the seal is to guarantee that the appropriate duty has been paid for each package containing such products. A particular example of such a practice is in packaging for cigarettes.
Typical cigarette packaging comprises a hinged lid coupled to a main body in which the cigarettes are held. To access the cigarettes, a consumer opens the hinged lid. A tax stamp of revenue seal may therefore be applied across the joint between the body of the packaging and the hinged lid, so that when the lid is opened, the seal is broken.
While this approach is suitable for conventional packaging, it is not always readily transferred to more innovative packaging forms. A particular concern arises with packaging in which the cigarettes are held in multiple compartments. In this case, it is essential that the seal is broken whichever of the compartments is accessed by the user. This is a particular challenge given that it is conventionally a requirement to use only a single seal on each item of packaging.
Appropriate solutions to this problem may be limited by restraints placed on the packaging. As well as design constraints, these may include legal constraints such as a requirement to display certain information on the packaging in certain locations, such as health warnings.
There is also a desire to implement a seal which avoids complexity in either design or application to the packaging, since this can increase the overall cost of the packaging.
There is, therefore, a desire to create a tamper evident seal which can be used on more complex packaging for cigarettes than conventional hinged lid packages. Simultaneously, constraints regarding cost, position, and the nature of the seal should be complied with.